Team Dignitas 2018 Spring Split Week 1 Preview

The SPL is back! And with it comes Team Dignitas and their all-star Smite team, ready to prove that even though they didn't make worlds last year, they are here to play and retain their position as one of the top EU teams.

Team Dignitas vs Mousesports, Thursday, March 22nd, 7:00 pm CET

In their first matchup of the year, Team Dignitas faces off against the newly formed team of Mousesports. Comprised of some of the former members of Elevate and other scene veterans, this is not a team to scoff at despite this being their first pro game together. 

The duo lane of Mousesports are perhaps their most well-known members, being Dardez and Jermain, who have been laning together since their pro league debut. Ever aggressive, last year they proved their ability to be more than just an agro lane, going to worlds and finishing a respectable 5th. Last year, they were one of the few duo lanes to be able to pose a challenge to Team Dignitas', but Trixtank and Arkkyl have had plenty of time to practice and should be coming into this season strong. One of the most well-rounded duo lanes in the scene, these two have built up their synergy to perfection and are a terror for even the best players to go up against. While trying to predict gods for this new, untested season is almost impossible, expect to see high impact gods from both sides, as they both like to control the lane from very early on.

The other big name in Mousesports is Cherryo, their jungler. Having been on the scene for years, Cherryo has built up a reputation for being a solid and consistent jungler, improving any team he's placed in. However, Team Dignitas' jungler QvoFred has just as much experience and on higher level teams. Back in the day, they were known for having very similar playstyles but since then QvoFred has really progressed past his contemporary. While Cherryo remains known for playing tankier junglers and being more team fight oriented, QvoFred has expanded into almost every playstyle, making him way more versatile than Cherryo. However, it being so long since we last got the opportunity to see either of them play, the dynamic may have changed. Either way, this will be an interesting matchup to watch.

In the midlane, we see the unorthodox matchup of Team Dignitas' Zyrhoes against BigManTingz. The former support for Fnatic, BigManTingz takes his first step into the midlane this season and it will be interesting to see how he holds up against one of the best midlaners in the game, Zyrhoes. This is going to be quite a trial by fire for BigManTingz, as he will probably get punished by the rest of Team Dignitas as well.

Finally, we have the solo lane. Mousesports Nika has made a name for himself as an aggressive solo laner, but in this matchup he will be facing off against what some people believe is the ultimate aggressive solo, Variety. Nika spent most of last year in the jungle, so a return to the solo for him against such an experienced player will definitely be difficult, especially with the changes to the solo lane and map in general.

Team Dignitas' first set should be easy, even though some of these players have given them trouble before. Overall, They should easily win against Mousesports and that should give them momentum for their second, tougher set.

Team Dignitas vs Obey Esports, Thursday, March 22nd, 10:30pm CET

Team Dignitas follows up with an extremely tough matchup, Obey Esports. Both very high level teams with a lot to prove, this should be an explosive set.

The solo lane sees two lane veterans going head to head. Both Team Dignitas' Variety and Obey's Xaliea have been solo laners for most of their careers, and both are extremely good at it. Both have the capacity to be aggressive but also know when to step back to ensure the safety of their lane. Either way, predicting this matchup, as with much of this game, is very difficult. It remains to be seen who ends up on top.

The midlane also sees 2 veteran players go head to head, in PrettyPrime and Zyrhoes. While both are similarly well matched like the solo lane, Zyrhoes does have a slight advantage when it comes to godpool. Zyrhoes has a reputation for proficiency on pretty much every god in the game, while Prime has had some issues with being banned out before. If Team Dignitas bans out some of his big gods, they could force him into a corner, making it easier for Zyrhoes to beat him in lane.

In the jungle, Team Dignitas' QvoFred also shares some playstyle similarities with Obey's CaptainTwig. In the past, matchups between them have always been fun to watch, with Twig being very aggressive while QvoFred has always been more reserved but confident. However, the changes to the map for Season 5 have put a much bigger focus on farming in the early and mid game. QvoFred has always excelled at efficient farming, so this might give him a slight edge. Overall, expect them both to be aggressive and fighting for control of the jungle.

Finally, we have the duo lane. Obey's duo lane has seen a big change, as new support iRaffer will be joining adc Ataraxia. With a new lane comes new challenges, as new synergy has to be built up and there's a lot of room for mistakes early on. This could easily be exploited by Team Dignitas' Arkkyl and Trixtank, who have been playing together for over a year now. If they force fights that are advantageous to them, Team Dignitas could punish Obey for their lack of experience together in lane. Either way, it will be a fun matchup to watch as all 4 players are extremely mechanically skilled.

This set is going to be tough on both sides. Both teams are full of veterans playing the roles they made their names on. If Team Dignitas can play smart and take fights they know they can win, they should be able to come out on top as a powerhouse European team.